Cook rice and keep aside. Grind mint leaves with coconut, green chillies and ginger / garlic (if using fresh). Heat ghee in a pan and roast the cashews until golden brown and keep aside. To the same pan, add the spices and sauté for about a minute. Make sure you keep stirring them, else they will burn. Add the chopped onions and sauté till they turn transparent.

Add the ground mint paste to the pan and fry for about 2 - 3 minutes until it turns fragrant. Add salt and mix well. Mix in the rice, garnish with the roasted cashews and serve, preferably with raita and pickle.

Pulav Varieties

Jeera Rice (Cumin)

Ingredients

Basmati Rice – 1 cup

Cumin seeds – 2 tbsps

Bay leaf – 1- 2

Cinnamon – 1” piece

Cloves – 2-3

Ghee – 1-2 tbsps

Water – 1 ½ cups

Salt to taste

Method

In a pressure cooker, heat ghee and add spices and sauté until fragrant. Add rice and sauté for a few minutes. Add water and salt and mix well. Cook in a pressure cooker or electric cooker.

Serve this fragrant rice with raita and papad. To make it richer, garnish with roasted cashews.

Peas Pulav (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Peas – ½ cup (you can definitely add more if you please)

Cumin seeds – 2 tsps

Bay leaf – 1-2

Cloves – 2-3

Cinnamon – 1” piece

Cardamom pods – 2-3

Ghee – 1-2 tbsps

Ginger-garlic paste (optional) – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 medium (cut into thin long slices)

Water – 1 ½ cups

Salt to taste

Method

Wash peas and keep aside. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker or electric rice cooker and add the cumin seeds. As they start spluttering add the spices. Sauté until fragrant and add the sliced onion. Sauté for a minute and add ginger-garlic paste (if using). Once the raw smell goes, add peas and sauté for a couple minutes. Add rice, salt and water (taste to check salt).

Let the cooker do its job and once the pressure is settled (for pressure cooker), open and serve with raita and papad. You can also garnish the rice with toasted cashews for a rich taste.

Paneer Pulav (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Paneer cubes – ½ cup (you can definitely add more if you please)

Cumin seeds – 2 tsps

Bay leaf – 1-2

Cloves – 2-3

Cinnamon – 1” piece

Cardamom pods – 2-3

Ghee – 1-2 tbsps

Ginger-garlic paste (optional) – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 medium (cut into thin long slices)

Water – 1 ½ cups + 2 cups (for soaking paneer)

Salt to taste

Method

Take 2 cups of water in a vessel and bring to a boil. Switch off and add paneer cubes to it and keep aside. This makes the paneer softer. Let the paneer soak for 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pressure cooker or electric rice cooker and add the cumin seeds. As they start spluttering add the spices. Saute until fragrant and add the sliced onion. Sauté for a minute and add ginger-garlic paste (if using). Once the raw smell goes, add paneer cubes and sauté for a couple minutes. Add rice, salt and water (taste to check salt).

Let the cooker do its job and once the pressure is settled (for pressure cooker), open and serve with raita and papad. Garnish with toasted cashews for a richer and crunchier finish.

Note – Here is an interesting fact. Once you have tried making the above three recipes separately (jeera rice, peas pulav and paneer pulav), try putting it all together. You will have a wholesome pulav with paneer and peas, seasoned with cumin and other spices. Sounds good? Try it and let us know.

Soya Chunks Pulav (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Soya chunks – ½ cup

Cumin seeds – 2 tsps

Bay leaf – 1-2

Cloves – 2-3

Cinnamon – 1” piece

Cardamom pods – 2-3

Ghee – 1-2 tbsps

Ginger-garlic paste (optional) – 1 tbsp

Onion – 1 medium (cut into thin long slices)

Water – 1 ½ cups

Salt to taste

Method

Take 2 cups of water in a vessel and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and add soya chunks. Let the chunks cook for 15 minutes. The chunks will puff up and become soft. Meanwhile, heat ghee in a pressure cooker or electric rice cooker and add the cumin seeds. As they start spluttering add the spices. Sauté until fragrant and add the sliced onion. Sauté for a minute and add ginger-garlic paste (if using). Once the raw smell goes, add cooked soya chunks and sauté for a couple minutes. Add rice, salt and water (taste to check salt).

Let the cooker do its job and once the pressure is settled (for pressure cooker), open and serve with raita and papad. Garnish with toasted cashews for added taste.

Vegetable Biriyani (Serves 2)

Over the years, I have seen many recipes for vegetable biriyani, some from friends and some from various websites. Given below is the recipe I follow now. It is from a fellow blogger. The recipe is so simple that my husband, a novice in the kitchen was able to follow it to make delicious tasting biriyani.

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Water – 2 cups

Coconut milk (optional)

Vegetables – 1 cup ( carrot, beans, cauliflower, potato)

Paneer cubes – ½ cup

Cloves – 2

Cinnamon – 1” piece

Bay leaf – 1

Garam masala – ½ tsp

Salt to taste

Oil – 2 tsp

Ghee – 1 tsp

Masala

Onion – 1

Grated coconut – 3tbsps

Green chillies– 2-3

Garlic – 3 cloves

Method

Wash and cut the vegetables and keep aside. Wash and soak the rice for 15 - 20 minutes. Grind the onions, coconut, garlic and chilies into a fine paste. Heat ghee in the pressure cooker or electric rice cooker, fry the paneer cubes and keep aside. Add oil to the cooker and add the whole spices. Sauté for minute and add the ground masala. Continue sautéing for 2-3 minutes till the raw smell goes.

Add the chopped vegetables and salt and mix well. Add the rice and sauté for couple of minutes. Then add 2 cups of water or coconut milk. The coconut milk will give the rice a more creamy texture. Alternatively, you can also use a combination of water and coconut milk. Add the garam masala and cook.

Blend the masala ingredients in a blender to make a smooth paste. In a pan, heat ghee. Add the bay leaves and onions and sauté well. Add basmati rice and sauté for two minutes. Add the cut vegetables and sauté for about five minutes. Pour the masala on the rice and mix well. Add a cup of water and bring it to boil. Remove from the stove and cook the rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.

Serve hot pulav with raita.

Vegatable pulav can also be made plain without the masala. The plain pulav can be served with spicy curry or mint raita.

Mix the saffron into the milk and set aside. Heat ghee in a pan and add bay leaves. Add basmati rice and salt and mix well. Add the dry fruits and sauté for a minute or two. Remove from the stove and add two cups of water. Pour the saffron milk on the rice. Mix well. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.

Serve hot Kashmiri pulav with Lijjat papad.

Kushka Rice (Serves 2)

Ingredients

Basmati rice – 1 cup

Onion – 1 (finely chopped)

Bay leaves – 1 or 2

Masala

Mint leaves – ½ cup

Green chillies – 2 or 3

Ginger – 1 tsp

Garlic – 2 cloves

Cloves – 1 or 2

Cinnamon powder – a pinch

Cardamom powder – a pinch

Salt

Method

Blend the masala ingredients in a blender to make a smooth paste. Heat ghee in a pan and add bay leaves. Add the chopped onions and sauté well. Add the rice and mix well. Pour the ground paste and mix well. Cook the rice in a pressure cooker or rice cooker.

Thank you for trying our recipes, Cynduja. We are always super excited when folks come back with feedback.Never seen not so tender leaves, so have not had the issue of fibrous leaves. Tender leaves are definitely the better choice.

About Us

We have been friends for a long time and we have done it all: bunked classes, watched movies, sleepovers, trips and more. Some friendships last only through the school or college years but looks like this one was meant to be…because we are still friends.
After having cooked for our families and friends for a few years, we had the urge to cook for others. This led to the idea of opening a restaurant called ‘Square Meals’, which would take patrons on a gastronomic journey through different parts of India. The restaurant never materialized and the next best thing was this blog.
The Square Meals blog provides taste-tested recipes for you to try in your own kitchens. Join us on our culinary journey as we share some of our mouth-watering creations with foodies all over the world.